Between the legs twice, a little shake, a step-back, and a fadeaway J: Kyrie Irving hit The Shot of the NBA Finals, a 3-pointer over back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry. Irving's jumper gave the Cavs a three-point lead with less than a minute to go in Game 7, and they held on to claim Cleveland's first championship since 1964.
In the ensuing celebration, after seeing his father and sister, the first person Irving contacted was Kobe Bryant, according to ThePostGame.
"I actually FaceTimed Kobe after the game as soon as I got in the locker room," Irving said. "Other than seeing my dad and my sister right after we won, FaceTiming him was just a great thing, knowing how he has won five and I just won my first."
Uncle Drew has newfound respect for the Mamba.
"Then realizing how hard it is just to win one, my respect for him is already high, but it went to another level knowing that he's got five of them," Irving said. "I'm trying to get a second one."
They had a mentor-mentee relationship throughout the playoffs.
"[Bryant] was telling me congrats," Irving said. "I had been speaking to him throughout the entire playoffs and during the season. During the Finals, we didn't really talk as much, because for me, I wanted to experience it full on, and if I needed his help, I would reach out to him. He would send me some texts here and there, but mainly he kind of let me be, and let me grow into my own space."
Interestingly enough, Bryant texted encouragement to players on both teams throughout the playoffs, including Golden State's Draymond Green, and he recently said Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are the two players he thinks most resemble his game.
Though he's busy with building Kobe Studios and his other exploits, it's good to see the Mamba is still actively playing a role in the NBA. He's a different animal and the same beast.
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